Poster Presentation Society for Freshwater Science 2025 Annual Meeting

How do terrestrial arthropod assemblages change along moisture gradients in drying wetlands? (117911)

Bennett Merkle 1 , Kelly Johnson 1
  1. Ohio University, Athens, OHIO, United States

With the ever-present threat of global warming, it is essential that ecologists continue to monitor the state of freshwater wetlands. Inundation patterns cycle throughout the year, and with it the water content of wetland soils. By collecting pairs of leaf litter and soil samples along an upland-lowland gradient, the relationship between arthropod populations and soil water content can be examined. Six different wetland sites of varying classification in southeastern Ohio were sampled during June-August of 2024. Litter samples were processed using a Berlese funnel and specimens were identified in the lab using dissection microscopes, while soil samples were weighed and baked to determine water content. Our overarching goal was to determine if terrestrial soil and leaf litter arthropods could be used as bioindicators of the frequency and duration of inundation in wetlands.